Why is Virat Kohli not playing in the first ODI against England in Nagpur?

While the hosts India and the visitors England are set for the first game of the three-match ODI series at Nagpur, former Indian captain Virat Kohli is surprisingly missing. During the toss of the series opener, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed the reason for Kohli's absence from the Nagpur ODI. 

Virat Kohli will have to wait for his ODI return

Vidarbha Cricket Association Stadium in Nagpur is hosting the ODI series opener on Thursday (February 6), where the English captain Jos Buttler chose to bat first after winning the toss. During the toss, Indian captain Rohit Sharma revealed that Virat Kohli is missing the first ODI due to a right knee problem, which he sustained last night. It was surely a big blow for India as well as Kohli, who is desperate to return to his best form with the bat. Kohli's fitness situation and availability status for the next ODI is yet to be known. 

During the toss, Rohit confirmed two ODI debuts. In the absence of Kohli, the 23-year-old left-handed opening batter Yashasvi Jaiswal is making his ODI debut after playing 19 Tests and 23 T20Is. On the other hand, after playing two Tests and one T20I, the right-arm fast bowler Harshit Rana is also making his ODI debut. After making his Test debut last November in the recently concluded Australia tour, Rana made his T20I debut as a concussion substitute for Shivam Dube during the Pune T20I on January 31.

Meanwhile, Joe Root returns to the ODI squad. The 34-year-old last time played an ODI more than a year ago, during the England vs Pakistan match at Eden Gardens, Kolkata, in the ICC Men's Cricket World Cup 2023.

See Also: Captain Rohit Sharma updates on Jasprit Bumrah's fitness

IND vs ENG, Nagpur ODI 2025: Playing XIs

England playing XI: Phil Salt (wk), Ben Duckett, Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (Captain), Liam Livingstone, Jacob Bethell, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Saqib Mahmood

India playing XI: Rohit Sharma (Captain), Yashasvi Jaiswal, Shubman Gill, Shreyas Iyer, KL Rahul (wk), Hardik Pandya, Axar Patel, Ravindra Jadeja, Mohammed Shami, Kuldeep Yadav, Harshit Rana